Lamb Kleftiko Recipe

Greek lamb kleftiko, featuring roasted lamb shanks with potatoes, tomatoes, and herbs all perfectly wrapped in baking paper.

Succulent, tender, seasoned lamb with potatoes, peppers, plenty of garlic and creamy feta cheese - all cooked in the oven, in one dish.

Prep Time10

Cook Time3

Marinating time2

Total Time5 10

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Greek

Keyword: lamb shank, One Pot Recipes, slow cooked

Servings:

Author Nicky Corbishley

Ingredients

Lamb and marinade:

4 lamb shanks about 400g-500g (roughly 14-18oz) each
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
1 tablespoon lemon zest (zest of 1 lemon)
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper

Vegetables:

600 g (1.3lb) waxy potatoes such as Desiree or Charlotte, peeled and chopped into large chunks (I chop them so there are 3 pieces per person)
2 red bell peppers deseeded and chopped into rounds
1 large or two small red onion peeled and chopped into chunky wedges
4 large tomatoes quartered
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
120 ml (1/2 cup) lamb or chicken stock
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (approx. the juice from 1 lemon)
2 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon black pepper
4 cloves garlic peeled and lightly bashed
3 bay leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
200 g (7 oz) feta cheese , crumbled into chunky pieces
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

Marinade the lamb

In a large bowl add the olive oil, oregano, thyme, garlic, lemon zest, salt and pepper and mix the marinade ingredients together.
2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 3 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon lemon zest, ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
Place the lamb shanks in the bowl with the marinade and rub the marinade all over the lamb ensuring to thoroughly coat each lamb shank, then cover with clingfilm or foil.
4 lamb shanks
Marinate for at least 30 minutes (leave at room temperature if marinating for 30 minutes). If you can marinate for longer (2 hours is ideal, but you can go up to 24 hours), place in the refrigerator, covered. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to cooking to take off the chill.

Make the lamb kleftiko

Preheat the oven to 160C/320F (fan).
Line a large roasting tin with two layers of baking parchment in a crisscross patern, leaving enough overhang so you can completely wrap the lamb.
Place the potatoes, peppers, red onion and tomatoes in the roasting tin.
600 g (1.3lb) waxy potatoes, 2 red bell peppers, 1 large or two small red onion, 4 large tomatoes
Drizzle over the red wine vinegar, stock and lemon juice.
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 120 ml (1/2 cup) lamb or chicken stock, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Sprinkle on the oregano, salt and pepper and nestle in the bashed garlic and bay leaves.
2 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, ¾ teaspoon black pepper, 4 cloves garlic, 3 bay leaves
Arrange the lamb shanks on top of the vegetables and spoon any remaining marinade over the top of the lamb and vegetables.
Drizzle another 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the lamb and vegetables and add a good pinch of salt and pepper to each lamb shank.
2 tablespoons olive oil
Seal up the parchment by folding it over, so no air can escape.
Place in the oven for 2 hours and 20 minutes.
After 2 hours and 20 minutes carefully open the parchment (hot steam will escape, so be careful – I use a set of tongs for this).
Scrunch the parchment down, around the sides of the tin and sprinkle over the crumbled feta.
200 g (7 oz) feta cheese
Turn the oven up to 200C/400F (fan) and place back in the oven for a further 30-40 minutes to brown the lamb and vegetables.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley before serving.
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley

Notes

Nutritional information is approximate, per serving, based on this recipe serving 4.
**Note** Lamb shank nutritional info is extremely difficult to work out on the calorie calculators I've used, so I've based this off a yield of approx. 200g-250g of meat per shank (this came to approx 418 cals of meat per lamb shank).

Nutrition

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